It could be mistaken for a scene in a creepy Alfred Hitchcock film, but a Victorian community is fighting against a flock of 20,000 seagulls which have terrorised residents for almost 20 years.

Clayton South in Melbourne's south east is considering a seagull cull as residents and business owners continue are increasingly desperate for a reprieve from the relentless infestation.

$60,000 was spent on netting and wiring by one group of local business owners last year to try stop the bird plague, but the flying pests refuse to leave – too keen to continue their feeding frenzy at the local rubbish tips.

The flocks of thousands are causing mess, noise, bad smells and 'millions' of dollars of damage to roofs. They are even blocking drains, which has led to building flooding.

Clayton South in Melbourne's south east is considering a seagull cull as residents and business owners continue are increasingly desperate for a reprieve from the relentless infestation

$60,000 was spent on netting and wiring by one group of local business owners last year to try stop the bird plague, but the flying pests refuse to leave

The birds are too keen to continue their feeding frenzy at the local rubbish tips and leave a trail of destruction in their wake

'People get annoyed with a few gulls at the beach, so when you see 10,000 of them circling above you, that gives you some perspective on it,' Cr Gledhill said.

'They're animals, they're not something to be frivolously discarded. My personal preference is that there are other techniques that we can adopt to manage their numbers,' Mayor Geoff Gledhill told News Corp.

The birds can even be a hazard to aircrafts during landing and take off due to the proximity of the landfills to airports.

Silver Gulls have been abundant in the Clayton area since at least the late 1990s, the local council confirms, due to the proximity of landfill sites.

Mayor Geoff Gledhill (L) wants the community to try to use other methods before embarking on a gull cull

The Kingston City Council has put a management plan in place – including scarecrows, gas guns and noise deterrents – but the problem may be escalated to the Victorian Government, who can approve for the Silver Gulls to be culled.

Experts are concerned the seagulls infestation will continue if they are simply made to move from the area as they will travel to another food source and prove problematic.

'In that situation there is an argument for culling because you're not just handballing the problem to someone else.'

The Council is not responsible for a cull but 'if private businesses wanted to conduct a cull they have to apply to the Victorian Government for a permit – as the birds are a protected species.'

The unbelievable scenes could be mistaken for a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller, The Birds

A Kingston City Council spokesperson says they 'do not have a position on whether the cull should proceed'

A spokesperson for Kingston City Council says the council 'does not have a position on whether the cull should proceed.'

The council have called in an expert to seek advice about how to proceed and are also trying to get the neighbor tip, which is attracting the birds, to close.

Local business owner Barry Singer said the poo and nesting was ruining the millions of dollars worth of roofs on the business estate where he is based.

'It's disgusting and annoying and the council has allowed it to get worse every year,' Mr Singer said on Thursday.

'Our estate had to spend $60,000 last year on wires to stop them nesting on our roofs but all that does is move them from our factory to the next factory.'

Mr Singer said that even though the birds were off his roof, the thousands flying over were still causing a mess.

The birds are classified as protected wildlife, but the council and business owners can apply for a permit to kill adult birds and take their nests, eggs and chicks; as long as all non-lethal options have been tried.

Clayton South is a suburb in Melbourne's south east which is being plagued by seagulls thanks to rubbish tips